Labeling-machine



Patented May 24, 1921.

4 SHEEIS-SHEET 1- C. H. WILD.

-LABEL|NG MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED AUG7, 1920. 1,379,376.

4 SHEE1SSHEET 2.

fill

Patented May 24, 1921.

C. H. WILD. LABELING MACHINE.

" AP PLICATION FILED AUGY, 1920.

' Patented May 24, 1921.

4 SHEEISSHEET 3.

C. H. WILD.

LABELiNG MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG-7, 1920.

Patented May 24, 1921.

UNITED STA'ZES Pg'rENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. WILD, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO BURT MACHINE GOM- LABELING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1921.

Application filed August 7, 1920. Serial No. 401,860.

equipment, particularly with an electric.

drive whereby the current consumed is con trolled as to the-maximum flow over the line, which makes it possible and convenient to operate the equipment without danger of fire due to overloading of the circuit and consequent burning of the connections, and

also makes the installation acceptable to the trade in that it conforms to the insurance regulations.

In the application of labels to cans by machine, the most approved adhesive is a fusible cement, which makes it necessary to provide the machines with a heated cement pot or receptacle.

The present invention provides an electrically heated receptacle for paste or cement, which has the obvious advantages over other kinds of heaters, of convenience of regulation'and practically automatic action as to the on and off position.

It provides a heating unit for the paste or cement pot, of adjustable capacity, with a safety connection which makes it impossible to run the motor when the heating coil is at full capacity, so that the current consumption per unit of time is limited and kept below that which is permissible under the prevailing insurance regulations.

Other features and advantages of the inventions and improvements herein disclosed in connection with the particular art to which they are applied, will more fully appear in the specification.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a labeling machine having a cement pot equipped with an electric heating appliance in accordance with my invention. I have also disclosed in a general way a can labeling machine which is electrically driven and heated, the circuit being arranged and controlled in accordance with my invention.

In the drawings:

F igure 1 is a side elevation of a labeling machlne equlpped in accordance with my 1nve nt1on.

F1g, 2 is a view taken from the same direction, of the stove and heating unit, with the cement pot shown fragmentarily, the same including the switch terminals and connections to same, the switch being removed.

Fig. 3, is an elevation taken at right angles to Fig, 2 and showing the cement pot fragmentarily, together with the stove, heatmg co1ls and switch casing.

F g. 4c is a circuit diagram.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic showing of the swltch terminals indicating the nature of the contact at the switch when the heater Fig. 8 is a similar diagram of the switch I showing the nature of the contact when the heater 1s at high and-the motor is cut out. Fig. 9 1s a view of the cement pot looking in a direction at right angles to the runway and feed belt.

Fig. 10 is an elevation of the switch and terminals with the cover removed.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the toprotary contact arm of the switch, the terminals being partly in section.

Fig. 12 is a similar view of the bottom rotary contact arm, the top member being removed.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Fig. 1, the machine illustrated is of the type in which the cans are passed along a chute or run-way through the machine, being as they pass first coated with cement as to a portion of the cylindrical surface of each can, after which coating the can takes up a label which is presented in the path of the can, so that the can rolls over the label picking it up and causing it to be rolled about the can by means of the adhesive properties of the cement. The labels are a little longer than the circumference of 7, a feed belt 8, a feed belt driving pulley 9,

a feed belt carrier pulley 10, a timer pulley and belt 11, a lap paste pot 12, lap pasting belt and pulleys 13, lap paste belt driving pulley and belt 14, a label hopper 15, and a label feed 16all of the usual or any preferred type.

In the operation of the machine, the feed belt 8 is driven from the motor 7 by way of the pulley 9 and a drive belt 17. The belt 8 being led over the carrier pulley 10, passes from left to right, as seen in Fig. 1, as to the bottom half of the belt at 18, which serves to contact the cylindrical surfaces of the cans on the run-way 3, and feed them by rolling through the machine. The cans on the receiving chute are admitted at regular intervals by the timer belt and pulley 11. These cans as aforesaid are rolled through the machine and actuated by coniait with the bottom half 18 of the feed The cement pot 21 for applying cement to the cans is located beneath the chute in the path of the cans, and includes suitable disks. The belt 23 driven by a pulley not shown, same being secured to shaft 24 of the carrier pulley 10, is led over a pulley 25 on the cement pot, which is connected by suitable toothed gearing 26 to the cement wheel shaft 27 carrying cement wheel 28 which dips into the cement and extends into the path of the cans so that they come in contact with it as they pass, it being understood that the cansare not entirely coated with cement, this being appliedmerely along .a band or strip extending parallel to the axis on one side of the can, sufiicient in extent to pick up the label and hold it when its ends are pasted together in accordance with the usual procedure.

As is generally understood in the labelingart, the cement pot 21 is so spaced from the hopper that the cement-coated section of the can engages the near or forward end of the uppermost label in the hopper, causing the label to be picked up and rolled about the can as the can advances, permitting the lap or overlapping end of the label to be engaged by the lap pasting belt 13 before it is rolled to final position on the can, following which the cans completely labeled are delivered by the chute 6.

In this connection it should be understood that when the machine is being placed in operation an extra heating effect is desired to raise the cement to working temperature, after which time the amount of heat supplied can be reduced, and the applicant has taken advantage of these conditions and made it possible to use a single electrical connection for all purposes, by providing an arrangement. of ,connections whereby the heating appliance may be operated in connection with the motor to give a minimum amount of heat, or a medium heating eifect less than maximum, but the circuit is so arranged that, at the maximum heating connection, which with the current for the motor would overload the wires, the motor is short-circuited and cut out.

In operating with this equipment the cement is brought to working condition with siderable importance relates to the fact that some kinds of electrical equipment has been considered undesirable because the heating units from time to time are destroyed, making it impossible to use the machine until other electrical equipment can be obtained. This has been overcome in the present in stance by so arranging the circuit with a multiple coil heater that'in case either coil is burned out the heater may be still operated in connection with the motor.

More specifically, having particular reference to Figs. 2, 3 and 9, the heater consists of a plurality of heating units or coils, in this instance two in number, marked A and B, the same being suitably insulated and inclosed in a casing or stove 35, which preferably has a flat upper surface 36 which bears against the corresponding bottom surface of the cement pot 21, previously referred to as the receptacle holding the cement which is supplied directly to the cans, and the cement pot is in turn secured to the frame of the machine, or more particularly the run-way 3 directly beneath the path of the cans.

Extending from the bottom of the stove and suitably secured thereto, as by means of cap screw 37, is an L-shaped bracket 38 carrying four switch terminals, 41, 42, 43 and 44, mounted upon an insulating block 45. to the center of which is pivoted the multiple contact switch 47 inclosed in a suitable casing 48. A switch which will produce the desired connect-ions is illustrated in Figs. 10, 11, and 12. There are two rotating contact members, 46 and 46 mounted on a single axis 48. The upper or outside member 46 has two contact arms, 49 and 50, and

terminals, 41, 42, 43 and 44. The terminal- 44 has two contact members, 55 in the path of the lower or inside contact arm 46, and

56 in the path of the lower or inside contact arm 46*. Each of the other terminals has but a single contact arm, that of the terminal 41 being in the path of the outer rotating contact member 46, same being indicated by reference character 57, and the contact members of terminals 42 and 43 being in the path of the lower or inside rotating contact member 47, same being indicated by reference character 58.

As the switch is rotated by means of the button 54, the upper and lower contact members being insulated from each other, we have successively the conditions as to contact between the terminals, indicated by Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, corresponding to which a rotary portion of the switch marked High, Medium, Low, Off, exposes these words successively at a window 60 in the casing. A circuit diagram by which the results herein pointed out and discussed may be produced, is shown in Fig. 4. In accordance with this diagram the coils A and B each have one terminal connected to the switch terminal 42. The plus side of the line leading to a suitable source of electricity is connected to terminal 43. The other terminal of coil A and a terminal of the motor are connected to terminal 44. The remaining terminal of coil B and the opposite terminal of the motor are connected to switch terminal 41, and to the or re turn wire.

The operation of the circuit is as follows:

In the off position of the apparatus as illustrated in Fig. 5, we have contact only between the terminals 42 and 44. It is of course not essential that these two terminals or any two terminals be connected. Terminal 43, which is the only lead from the plus side of the line, is disconnected so that there is no current to the motor or the heating coils.

In the low position of the switch, indicated in Fig. 6, the motor is in circuit and a minimum amount of heat is generated by the heating units. Terminals 43 and 44 are connected, the other two terminals being disconnected. In this arrangement of the circuit the current flows from the plus side of the line to terminal 44, to and through the motor and through the coils which are in series with each other and in parallel or multiple arc with the motor.

Fig. 7 illustrates the intermediate or medium heating position of the coils, with the motor in circuit. In this position of the circuit, switch terminals 42, 43 and 44 are connected. Under these circumstances the coil B is in circuit parallel to the motor and directly across the line, i. 6., coil B is connected from terminal 42 to the minus side of the line, the motor being similarly connected to the terminal 44 and the minus sideof the line.

In the high position as indicated in Fig. 8, terminal 44 is connected to terminal 41, and terminal 42 to terminal 43. Under these circumstances the two coils are in parallel across the line and the motor is shortcircuited, the current passing from terminal 43 to terminal 42, thence to both coils. From coil A the current goes back to terminal 44, thence to 41, and tothe minus side of the line. From coil B it goes direct to the minus side of the line and by connecting terminal 41 to 44 it will be easily observed that both motor and wires are connected, short-circuiting the motor.

It will thus be observed that we have a minimum heating position and a medium heating position, in which the motor is in circuit, and a maximum heating position intended for preliminary heating, in which the motor cannot be operated whereby the danger of an excess current flow is eliminated.

It will be understood that if no heat is generated with the switch on low point, one of the coils, probably coil A, is burned out and should be replaced. If no extra coil is at hand, by turning the switch to medium coil B will be placed in operation and will give service until coil A can be replaced.

If there is no heat at the medium position of the switch, coil B is burned out and the heater may be rendered operative by disconnecting wire Y, leading from coil A to the switch terminal 42, from said terminal and connecting it to wire W. This may be accomplished by switch 65 and connection 66 shown in dotted lines.

I have thus provided an electric heating equipment in combination with an electric motor, which has ahigh temperature starting position in which the motor is automatically cut out preventing overloading of the connections, and which is capable of continuous operation in the absence of replacement equipment. A labeling machine embodying my invention in the preferred form has been described specifically and in detail, in order that the nature and operation of the invention may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art; however, the specific terms herein are used descriptively rather than in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims,

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a labeling machine, an electric circuit including an electric motor for driving the machine; a cement pot and electric heating means therefor, also included in the Cllt'llltpwltll a' switch and connections providing a high, low and medium condition of the heating means, said switch and connections also serving to cut out the motor automatically at the high position of the heating means.

2. In a labeling machine, a cement pot; an electric circuit including electric heating means for the cement pot, the heating means 15 having a plurality of coils with connections whereby the electrical condition of the circuit may be changed to give a high, low and medium condition of the heating unit;

and means whereby either coil may be sepa-20 rately energized if the other is rendered inoperative.

Signed by me at Baltimore, Maryland. this 5th day of August,'1920.

CHARLES H. WILD. itnesses PORTER H. FLACTT, AXXA BERXSTEIN. 

